


New Orlando Bop

by Mrs_Spooky



Category: Cowboy Bebop
Genre: Gen, Language, Racist Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-22
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 03:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5896435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs_Spooky/pseuds/Mrs_Spooky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spike and Jet go after their first bounty together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

# New Orlando Bop

##  Cowboy Bebop musings by MrsSpooky

Background/assumptions:

Spike and Jet's first bounty together. 

This story takes place mostly on New Orlando and the Bebop

Cast: Spike, Jet, bounties Krazny and Cronaz

_Posted date: 22-Mar-2010_

* * *

_Screams. Screams of agony and terror. I watch in horror as two demons, armed to the teeth, hit their targets, spraying blood and screams of pain and death to the winds. The acrid smell of burnt gunpowder, sulphur and coagulating blood fill my nostrils and there is no escape. Leaden limbs root me to the spot. Powerless to stop the horror, I can only watch helplessly as the rampage continues unabated. These demons are barely human, all snarly and toothy, fangs bared and flashing in the fiery reddish light that engulfs their hideous forms. They seek blood and find it, destroying all that is in their path. They are dead. The two dead demons seek to increase their ranks no matter what it takes, and with joy they fulfill their mission. Waves of nausea wash over me as I am forced to helplessly watch the warfare they wage against the living. The current battle finishes amidst hellish howls of triumph. I fear being consumed by the hell that these demons have embraced and I start to pray, sobbing with silent fear. I search for a place to hide, but it's too late!!! One has spotted me and whirls to face me, fangs bared and snarling, laughing at my terror. He faces me head on, and to my horror, HE HAS MY FACE!! I scream._

Jet awakens to the proximity alert he has set for the asteroid where his next bounty is to be found. Stretching, he remembers that he has a companion now. There is another soul on he Bebop that he picked up on Io. A young kid who had escaped from a syndicate who needed a place to stay, something to do. A direction for his new life. He smiles. He hasn't had a chance to talk to Spike since he picked him up because he fell asleep on him almost as soon as he came on board. Well, this new bounty will give him something to do. _We'll find out if he's up to this job._

Jet climbed out of his bunk and swung it up against the wall, dressed and made his way to the galley to fix some tea for himself and his new companion. He found it actually felt good having someone else with him. _Maybe I WAS lonely_ , he thought. Now he had Spike and was looking forward to getting to know him. Having some help around the ship was a nice prospect too, and it will be better to cook for someone other than just himself for a change! Jet loved to cook, but there was little pleasure in it if it can't be shared.

The water boiled and Jet poured it into the pot over the bags that waited for their flavor to be released. Grabbing the pot and some cups, he made his way to the living area to wake his new friend. He had no sooner set down the pot and cups when he noticed something was wrong. Spike's brow was furrowed, the young face contorted in anguish. _Is he sobbing?_ He started to bend down to shake him awake when suddenly, Spike sat bolt upright with a shriek, his face covered with sweat and tears. Startled, Jet asked if he was all right. 

Spike didn't hear the question over the pounding of his heart. The roaring of his own blood coursing through his veins drowned out every other sound. Gasping for breath, he stared sightlessly into the distance. He raised his hand and quickly wiped sweat and tears from his face. "Huh? What?"

The older man looked sympathetic, "You going to be ok? Bad dream?" 

"Don't remember," Spike mumbled. 

Best not to talk about it. Jet nodded, deciding to let it drop. For now. "We have a bounty. Look at this." He turned on the vid screen and punched up information on their latest target. "Jeeter Krazny. He's wanted in connection with a theft from a chemical bank on Venus. A compound was taken and they want it back, or at least find out where it is so it can be retrieved and destroyed."

"What kind of compound?"

"It doesn't say. The lab has put out a three and a half million woolong bounty on this guy. Grab him, take him back to the lab on Venus, collect the bounty. Simple." Jet poured tea for himself and Spike, sat back and took a sip. "I have a source that said he was seen on New Orlando in the asteroid belt. It's always been a reliable source, so that's where we're heading." 

"Hmm," Spike sipped his own tea. "Anything about the guy himself?" 

"Very little. Just that the guy has buddies there and something about an aversion to soap." 

Spike's eyebrows shot up at that last bit. Jet chuckled, "I know. We'll find out." 

They finished their tea, discussing strategy. Spike said he was good at tracking people down and studied the face on the screen.  Definitely disheveled with a three day growth of  beard that he may have shaved off by now.  The green eyes were set very close together, long nose and thin lips that were stretched into what looked like a sneer. _Charming fellow._

It was time, they were approaching the toll booth, so Jet brought Spike with him to the bridge. While there, he pointed out where everything was. As an experienced pilot, Spike already knew most of it, but he would have to know how to land this thing if the need arose. He briefly reviewed landing procedures, promising more when the time came for them to actually touch down.

Being an asteroid colony, there were no oceans in New Orlando, so they would have to park the Bebop in a holding pattern while they went down to pick up the bounty. Jet was thinking, with the two of them, perhaps in the future, he could mostly stay behind and guide the operation while Spike went and caught the bounty and brought them back to the ship. He'd always be there too to back him up if he got into trouble. The first few times out though, he wanted to be with him. 

The Bebop parked, Jet and Spike headed to their respective vehicles. They would have to enter a narrow gate in the dome that held the atmosphere in to make the place habitable. It was a largish asteroid, and by all accounts, one of the nicest. No expense was spared when designing the place and it paid off when it became a very popular vacation destination.  Sooner or later EVERYONE paid a visit to New Orlando.

Safely ensconced in their pods, Jet opened the barn doors and he pulled out, engines unfolding, grappling hook swiveling around behind him and took off. Spike pulled forward, as he exited the landing bay, the wings of the Swordfish unfolded and locked into place. That done, he took off after Jet.

"You know much about bounty hunters?" he asked Spike. 

"Not much, just they pick up people that the police can't catch, or are wanted by private individuals who don't want the police involved. Which is this guy?"

"They don't want the police involved, that's why we have to take him back to the lab. Also, a bounty has to be brought back ALIVE. Unhurt if at all possible, but they have to be alive. They are of no use to anyone dead. Dead bounty, no pay. Got it?" 

"Roger that." 

"There may be other bounty hunters after this guy, so we have to watch out for them. I know some of them, and if I see them, I'll let you know."

They had to wait for the traffic to clear at the portal, then they entered the colony. Checking the local time, Spike noticed that it was late afternoon. He suggested checking the bars. Jet liked the idea, having been thinking along those same lines himself. Spike wanted to start with the nastiest bars on the outskirts of town. From the looks of the picture Jet showed him (one he memorised) this guy would stick out like a porcupine in a mink farm anywhere else. Jet agreed. He smiled, yep, he has it in him! He's quick.

Jet located a less affluent part of town where the seediest bars could be located. They parked their vehicles in a public lot and started walking. Spike had stuffed a cigarette into his mouth, puffing away, hands in pockets following a step or two behind Jet. Jet slowed his steps so Spike would walk even with him. As they reached the first establishment, Spike offered to scan the place. His cybernetic eye could see quite clearly under low light conditions and he'd have a better chance of spotting Krazny. He sauntered up to the entrance as if he was looking for a place to drink. The place was crowded, and the lights WERE low. Great place for someone to hide. He scanned the crowd, and not seeing the face he was looking for, he wandered back to Jet shaking his head. They moved on to the next one, same routine. Nope. Head shake, on to establishment number three. Pay dirt.

 

   
  
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	2. Chapter 2

Now to strategy. The place was crowded, so they couldn't just charge in there and drag him out. One would lure him outside and the other would cuff him. "Leave that to me" and with that, Spike turned on his heel and marched in. Well, he wants to pull his weight, let's see how he does.

Wading through the crowd towards his target, Spike considered his move. Krazny was standing near the bar, yukking it up with some cronies, all with drinks in hand. He noticed there was a wide open space between Krazny and everyone else, including his buds. Spike approached him as if heading to the bar, stepped very close to his target, between Krazny and his friends on his way, jostling his arm spilling his drink. For good measure, Spike ground his heel into the man's instep. Instantly, he regretted the move. Aversion to soap, they weren't kidding! Add to that list water and toothpaste! The smells emanating from this clown made Spike's eyes water, and he found himself wondering if this guy ever even wiped his ass. Geeze!!! Gagging, he thought I hope they're not ALL like this!

Krazny reacted badly, as Spike had hoped.

"Stupid Chink, what the fuck are you doing? Do you even speak fucking English?"

Spike turned and smiled. "I'm Japanese, dipshit," he responded in softly accented English, "and yes, I speak fucking English."

"Nip, Chink, same difference."

This was the opening Spike was waiting for, "Think so smart ass?" 

"Yeah! Want to do something about it?" Smile gone now.

Laughter died down around them as onlookers pushed back even further to make room, not wanting to be caught in what looked to be an impending brawl. Krazny handed what was left of his drink to one of his buddies and rolled up his sleeves, thinking to quickly finish off the cocky wiseass. Spike sniffed dismissively, trying not to faint from the overpowering stench.

"Let's take it outside, there's hardly room to move in here. Unless of course, you're SCARED."

Krazny roared in laughter. Like he'd be scared of a gangly string bean like THIS infant! He followed the youngster to the door, relishing the thought of the hurting he was going to inflict on the insolent little asshole.

Spike exited the bar, passed the waiting Jet, and headed to the left towards the alley. Krazny followed him out and Jet pounced, punching him in the kidney then quickly cuffing him. Jet immediately started coughing, then sneezed. GodDAMN!

Krazny safely in custody, Jet started hauling the smelly mess towards their ships, the bounty head complaining and hurling imprecations all the while.

"Nice work!" He turned to congratulate Spike, and noticed that his friend was keeping himself safely upwind of their bounty. Spike caught his eye, then smiled and waved. Jet sighed. Next one YOU'RE bringing back!!

They had almost reached their ships, Spike hoping Jet was going to keep stinky with him, when Jet froze. A man had walked out of the last bar on their right. He was tall, dark-haired, medium build. Classically handsome features and fairly nicely dressed. Spike wondered what a guy like him was doing in a place like that. Jet motioned him forward and told him that was Anton Cronaz and there was a 15 million woolong bounty on him.

"You sure?"

"OF COURSE I'M SURE!"

"I'll get him, you get Stinky McStench back to the ship, I'll met you there with Cronaz."

"Hey, Spike! Wait!" but he was gone.

Spike had turned to follow the new bounty. Sighing, Jet realised he'd have to spend 20 minutes in close quarters with this joker till they got back to the Bebop. Steeling himself, he dragged him to the Hammerhead, stuffed him in the pod, climbed in himself then took off.


	3. New Orlando Bop - 3 of 6

Spike followed the man for a block, then called out, "Excuse me, sir?" 

Cronaz turned warily to see the smiling young man approaching. An instinct took over and he turned and ran. Shit! Cronaz had a half a block lead on him, but Spike's long legs and speed closed the distance between them quickly and he was overtaken. Jet had given Spike a pair of cuffs, and he made good use of them. 

The guy started talking, "My money's in my wallet, left hip pocket. Take it all. You can have my watch too, it's not worth much, but you should be able to get a few hundred woolongs out of it." 

_He thinks I'm ROBBING him?_ "That's ok, the bounty on you is worth much more than what you're carrying," Spike crowed. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he moved to usher the bounty head towards the Swordfish when a rough looking middle aged man blocked his path. 

"Sorry, junior, this one's mine." 

Spike gaped at him, "Who the hell are YOU?" 

"I'm the bounty hunter who's bringing this guy in. I'll take him off your hands for you, give him to me." 

Bullshit!

Spike had his hands full of Cronaz, so his foot shot up and smacked the interloper across the face. While he was at it and his knee was still up, Spike decided to bitch slap the guy with his foot. He was a big one and didn't go down easily. Spike wound up for another kick as the bounty hunter pulled a gun and fired. The guy was a terrible shot and would have gotten Cronaz if Spike hadn't moved him out of the way. Trigger squeezed again and another shot got off as Spike kicked him in the solar plexus, knocking him on his ass. The bullet pierced Spike's side, the burning slug catching him through the waist. _That fucking hurt!_ Excusing himself to his bounty, Spike stepped over and kicked the guy again in the stomach for good measure. He didn't want him getting up and shooting him again, so he bent and grabbed his gun, stuffed it in his pants and pushed Cronaz towards the Swordfish. SHIT! _That's what I get for showing off. I should have just flattened the jerk right off the bat. That'll teach me._

He crammed the guy into the pod then climbed in himself, closed it, then took off. Cronaz was frantic. "I didn't do anything wrong! Honest! I never hurt anyone! Who put a bounty on me anyway? I'm just an accountant for chrissakes! Geeze dude, did you just take a bullet for me?" 

Spike made haste towards the dome's portal, the burning pain in his side was pissing him off and he wanted to get that taken care of. Plus he wanted to see how Jet made out with Krazny. The thought of poor Jet trapped in a tiny pod with that stinker raised a giggle despite himself.

Cronaz kept talking, "Who put a bounty on me? Why me? Did they tell you anything about what I was supposed to have done? I'm serious, I never did anything wrong in my life. I'm not a criminal!" 

Spike didn't answer him because frankly he didn't know. Jet was right about there being a bounty on him because that other jerk tried to take him. Spike's head was starting to pound from the pain in his side and the guy who kept talking. He wanted more information though, "So you're an accountant, right? Where did you work?"

"There wasn't much work on Ganymede, where I'm from, so I went to Mars. Got a job at the Hóng xīn yuè huì Corporation in Tarsis. That's where I worked last."

Spike's blood froze, he'd heard that name before. "Go on."

"I found some irregularities in the books four months ago. Numbers weren't adding up, and I found references to corporate accounts I couldn't identify. I worked on it for a month, started going back to previous years, trying to reconcile the entries and found out that the corporation was owned by a holding company, that was owned by a trust, and behind the trust…" then he stopped. "Anyway…." 

"So you started asking questions." 

Sheepish, "Yeah." 

Spike sighed. "So what happened next?"

The Swordfish had cleared the New Orlando portal and was rapidly approaching the Bebop. Spike slowed the pace. "So… what?"

"Nothing at first. There was some kind of uproar about some bigwig's son who had died or disappeared or something. No idea who the guy was, just that he was Important, and this personal thing going on with him."  Cronaz took a deep breath. "Well, one night I had gone out to catch a movie. I was going home, and when I got to my apartment, there was some tall dude with shoulder length white hair kicking the door in. Looked like he was carrying a sword of all things. There were a couple of guys with him. I didn't know what to do so I ran. I didn't like the look of that guy, so I just left Mars and came here to get away from them. They put a BOUNTY on me? EEEWWWW, you're bleeding on me!" 

Spike looked down to see that he was bleeding rather heavily, and it was indeed all over the mans' shirt, and he didn't have anything handy to stem the flow, his hands being occupied in flying the Swordfish. "Can't help that. We're almost there," Spike said absently. He was thinking furiously.

He punched in the codes to the landing bay door, turned the Swordfish around and backed in to his space next to the Hammerhead. Soon as the door was closed and the room pressurised, he opened the pod and hauled Cronaz out. 

"You going to take me back there?" 

Spike didn't answer, just hauled him back to the living area, looking for Jet. He sniffed and caught a trace of stink. He wondered where Krazny was, he couldn't really smell him. Jet had never told him what to do with the guys once they caught them - just needed to keep them secure until they could be taken back to whoever put the bounty on them. Spike adjusted the man's cuffs to secure him to the railing on the stairs leading to the portal to their quarters. "Just relax, I'll be right back." 

Spike went off in search of Jet. He checked the galley and noticed another pot of tea had been brewed.   He poured a cup for himself and one more, then took it back to Cronaz. The bounty head's eyes widened. "Here, it's just tea. Hang on." Spike wandered a bit more, sipping his tea and holding his hand to his side trying to stop the bleeding trying to remember where everything was, then he heard water running. He stopped outside a room that he thought he remembered was the shower. The water stopped. Spike grinned. _Yeah, that's right, he'll want a shower after being cooped up with Krazny._ Being one to keep score, Spike thought, _I'm going to owe him one for that._

Jet emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. He still looked disgusted and Spike tried not to smile. Jet started when he saw him there. Spike raised his hand, "Yo!" 

Jet smiled, "Did you get him?" 

"Yeah, but we have to talk." 

Delighted, Jet clapped him on the shoulder, "GOOD JOB! Three and a half million plus fifteen million is eighteen and a half million woolongs, all in one outing! Damn!" 

Spike's smile faded. Sigh. "Ok, what happened?" Then he noticed the blood all over Spike's side and running down his leg. There were droplets of blood on the floor. SHIT! He pointed his young friend to the medical bay and told him to have a seat on the table then ran to get dressed. It didn't look too bad, but shit!

Jet emerged from his quarters to find Spike sitting on the exam table, trying to ease off his bloody, damaged shirt, jacket already lying in a heap at the foot of the table. Jet helped him remove the shirt and took a look. It was a flesh wound, gunshot. Close range by the powder burns. Shot in the back, judging by the burns and the location of the exit wound. He set to work cleaning it up, then stitching the wounds. Spike's hands gripped the edge of the table, his eyes squeezed shut. He was sweating profusely. _Yeah, that's gotta hurt._

"So what happened?" 

Spike told him briefly about the other bounty hunter that showed up and tried to take Cronaz. He beat the guy off but not before he got off a few rounds. "He was a terrible shot and almost got Cronaz," he said. 

Jet sighed. "No point in a live bounty if the bounty hunter is dead. Got it?" 

"Yeah. Sorry. Where's Krazny?" 

"I put him in a storage hold that's not used much. He can stay there till we get him back to Venus. I want to do that as soon as possible. I don't want him on this ship any longer than necessary." 

"Yeah, no shit." 

Jet headed to the bridge to set course to the lab on Venus while Spike made his way to his quarters to change. He had to clean off the blood from his leg from his wound. Easing himself into his cargo pants and oversized t shirt, he went back to the living area where Cronaz was sitting, waiting. He noted the blood all over his shirt and asked him if he wanted a shower. 

"Well, yeah! Thanks!" he said, surprised. Spike uncuffed him and led him to the shower, locating a towel. He took the man's shirt and washed it as he showered. _I'm not used to bleeding on other people,_ he thought. He returned as Cronaz got out of the shower and handed him his shirt, still wet. 

"I'm new here and don't know where the dryer is." 

"Why are you doing this? What are you going to do with me?" 

Spike mumbled something noncommittal and recuffed him to the railing. Bounty head seemed to feel better, having showered and gotten Spike's blood off of him. He sat quietly, watching Spike warily. Spike sighed. 

Spike found the bridge where Jet had set a course for Venus and was heading towards the nearest gate. Jet turned and smiled at him, "How you doing? Everything ok?" 

"Yah, fine. Thanks a lot, you did a good job bandaging me up. I appreciate it." 

"Let's not make that a habit, ok?" 

"Sure."

Spike couldn't resist. "So how did you make out with Krazny?" 

Jet made a disgusted noise, Spike just laughed. Jet shot him a stern look, "YOU can take him down to the lab on Venus." Spike quickly sobered up.

 

   
  
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	4. New Orlando Bop - 4 of 6

The trip to Venus was uneventful. Krazny was safely tucked away where nobody had to smell or listen to him. Racist, obnoxious jerk that he was, his only visits were to be fed. It was only a few days till they reached the lab that had put the bounty on him. As they approached the planet, Spike was with Jet on the bridge when he made contact with them to let them know they were bringing him in, Spike making note of how Jet handled it.

The lab was glad to hear that they had retrieved Krazny and asked if any chemicals were on him. Jet reported that nothing was found, to their disappointment. 

"What WAS that stuff he stole anyway?" Jet asked. 

The lab official looked left and right and decided to let him in on what they were looking for. "We have an experimental compound to be used as an alternative to incarceration for minor, nonviolent criminals. Instead of locking them up, we'd inject them with this compound that gives them a very strong, repellent body odor that marks them as criminals. Those who have not been exposed to this chemical will be repelled by them and avoid them. It isolates the criminals but lets them have some freedom and eliminates the expense of housing these people. We were billing it as a miracle drug." 

Spike and Jet looked at each other. Spike bent down and stuck his face into camera view. "It works." 

The official, chagrinned said "He took it???" 

"He's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. He probably heard 'miracle drug' and took it himself. I can't believe anyone would smell like he does on their own." Jet nodded in agreement.

True to his word, Jet made Spike fly Krazny down to the lab. Fuming at having this smelly creature with him in the Swordfish, Spike was in no mood for Krazny's ranting. "Goddamned Nip, I'm going to kick your fucking ass. Let me outta here right now junior, or you're going to be sorry." 

On and on he went. Spike had had enough. Elbow came down hard on the top of the guy's head. 

"OW!! JAP PIECE OF SHIT!"

_Yeah, cry me a river, asshole._ "Oops. Slipped. Twitch I get when I'm annoyed." 

Spike was gagging, beginning to fear that Krazny's smell would be contagious. Jet was waiting for them at the lab, smirk on his face. Spike's expression was stormy as he yanked Krazny out of the Swordfish and dumped him hard on the pavement. "Ooops!" Jet roared with laughter, he could just imagine the hell the bounty had given Spike. For his part, Jet didn't appreciate being called a mandroid by this jerk.

To the bounty hunters' great amusement, they were met by staff wearing gas masks. Three of them hauled Krazny away, and the official they spoke to earlier presented Jet with a card. Jet pulled out his reader and saw the four million woolongs balance on it - the extra half million for the pain they suffered having to endure such close quarters with their quarry.

Jet was curious, "So what's this guy's story anyway? Even without the smell, his personality is repellent enough."  
  
The official sighed, "He used to work here, in Administration. He somehow got a hold of some classified material about this compound. No idea what he thought it would do. That accounts for the smell. The unfortunate personality is a side effect of the drug. He wasn't always like that. Don't worry, it should all wear off in a few months, but in the mean time we have to keep him locked up for his own protection - and for ours."

Thanking them, the bounty hunters turned and left. Jet asked Spike for his card. He took it and deposited thirty percent of the bounty into his account. Then he explained "This is how it works. We catch a bounty, you and I get thirty percent, the remainder goes into an account for maintenance of the Bebop. Fuel, food, parts, and so on. That ok with you?" 

"Yeah! That's reasonable." 

"Good."

Jet draped his arm around his new friend's shoulders and gave him a brief squeeze. He reached into his pocket to grab a cigarette. "Ok, now we need to unload Cronaz. This is REAL pay dirt!" 

They headed back to the Bebop, Jet was happy about the renovations he'll be able to make on the ship thanks to his powers of observation and the good fortune of having a partner like Spike. Spike was pensive and fairly quiet on the way back.

They parked their ships in the landing bay and were walking towards the living quarters. Jet looked over at his friend, "What?"

Spike stopped. "Who put the bounty on Cronaz?" 

Jet said he wasn't sure, but we'll have to look it up to collect. Spike followed Jet to the bridge where he plopped himself into his chair and punched up the information. There it is, it was some company called Hóng xīn yuè huì Corporation. 

"Who owns it?" 

Jet punched in a search and found a holding company. 

"Who owns that?" 

Curious, Jet punched in the query and found it was owned by a trust. Now intrigued, he looked into the trust and found it was owned by a dummy corporation. That was owned by another. _This can't be right._ He kept going, weaving his way through the web of ownership until he found the source. The Red Dragon. His eyes bulged. Spike straightened up, gingerly rubbing his side. Jet turned and looked up at him, "What do you know about this? What has he told you?"

Spike told him what he was told, that the guy was a mid level accountant for the Hóng xīn yuè huì Corporation. He found some irregularities in the books, and while investigating them he found some things about the company ownership. He got into some trouble because of the questions he was asking, so he fled. He didn't know about the bounty. 

Jet, still watching him, "Do you believe him?" 

Spike fished out a cigarette and lit it, blowing smoke. He nodded, "Sure do."

Jet sat there for a few moments, staring out the window, soaking it all in. His heart sank. He could feel Spike's eyes on him, studying him. 

Spike broke the silence, "They're going to kill him. You know that, right?" 

Jet ran his hand over his head, kissing the fifteen million woolongs goodbye. He knew Spike was right. He also knew he couldn't turn the man over to the syndicate to be killed, and it looked like Spike couldn't do it either. He sighed heavily. "Shit."

"What are we gonna do?"

"Shit!! Goddamn it" Sigh.

Spike offered a suggestion, "What about Earth? Most all of the cities there these days are under ground. There might be places there where he could go." 

Jet turned and looked hard at him. "Think it will do any good?" Spike would know better than anyone else if it would be safe there. 

"The syndicates have been pretty much leaving the Earth alone. Nothing there, no point wasting the money for little to no return. Would bounty hunters be looking there?" 

Jet thought about it briefly. "Not if they didn't have word that he was there. If he was able to make it to Earth and nobody knew he was there…. no, nobody would find him. Most likely."

Spike nodded. It was decided. Cronaz could know nothing about them for his own safety and theirs. Jet chose an underground city that wasn't too large and prosperous, not likely to garner any attention from outsiders. With that question settled, Spike left for the terminal in his quarters and made some quiet inquiries of his own.

 

   
  
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	5. New Orlando Bop - 5 of 6

Jet set the course for Earth and located the nearest gate. The computer told him it would be eight hours to their destination. It's about time to eat, he thought. He WAS getting hungry. He passed through the living area and saw that Spike had uncuffed Cronaz, who was sitting on one end of the couch. Spike had fished out a deck of cards and was expertly shuffling them. He looked up at Jet and asked him if he was up for some poker. 

"Nah, gonna make dinner. You hungry?" 

"I could eat." 

Cronaz was starving. Digging out the fixings for dinner, Jet was glad that he had gotten groceries. He's going to have to start cooking for two now, and today they have a guest.

Jet joined them with plates of food that he set down in front of the three of them. Cronaz saw that it was some kind of stir fry. He had gotten used to that on Mars. One thing he never did get the hang of was chopsticks, which the bounty hunters had no problems maneuvering. Noticing that he was having trouble with his dinner, Jet headed off and returned with a fork. Gratefully, he accepted it and dug in. 

"How is it?" 

Cronaz remarked that it was very good. Spike was too busy to respond, shoveling the stir fry into his face at lightning speed. _I guess he WAS hungry._

Dinner finished and dishes washed and stowed, the three men had some hours to chat before dropping Cronaz off at his final destination. Settling himself in the chair after helping clean up, he felt awkward with these men, never having ever actually met a bounty hunter before. He'd heard about them of course, but he had always pictured them as cruel, half wild brutes. These two were nothing like that. _Shouldn't I have handcuffs on?_ Then he figured that the younger man could kick him senseless like he did with that other bounty hunter in New Orlando if he tried anything. He sighed. The younger man was trying to settle himself comfortably on the couch without much success, that bullet wound causing no small discomfort. Finally he just laid himself down and seemed to find some relief. Cronaz and the older man continued their conversation, where it turned out both have a fondness for jazz. They went on discussing some of the finer points of the different styles of jazz and their hybrids, when Cronaz noticed that the younger man had fallen asleep. 

The older bounty hunter spoke, "I'm going to make more tea, did you want some?" 

"Yes please. Thanks!"

Thoughtfully, Cronaz watched the young bounty hunter sleep. Looked to him like he was having uneasy dreams. It then occurred to him that nobody had said anything about what was going to happen to him. He knew that the company he worked for had put the bounty on him. Not knowing how to hide, he was easily found. _Well, that's what I get for asking questions. They'll probably kill me,_ he thought with a chill.

The big man returned with the tea, pouring cups for the two of them. He settled himself on the edge of the couch next to the younger man's legs. 

"You two know each other long?" he asked. 

Chuckle. "We met… um… yesterday. Yeah. More like last night." 

"I see.  He seems like a good kid. " 

The older man smiled at his sleeping companion, "He has a good heart."

Cronaz cleared his throat, steeling himself. "How long till we get to Mars?" 

"We're not going to Mars." 

 

   
  
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	6. New Orlando Bop - 6 of 6

 

Gape. "But… but… where are you taking me??"

The big guy's face went grim. "We found out who was after you. We can't turn in an innocent person to be killed. You're going to Earth."

"EARTH?"

"Nobody will find you there. It's your best shot for staying alive as long as that bounty is in effect. Trust me, it's the only way. Unless of course you prefer Callisto."

Callisto! Cronaz couldn't believe anyone remained living in that horrible place. No, Callisto is definitely out - if he had his preferences. The big guy continued, "We found a medium sized city where you can live. Start over. It's not much, but it's a shot."

Speechless, Cronaz just stared at him. Finally he found his voice, "I don't know how to thank you."

With a smile, the big guy said, "Just keep your nose clean."

The young bounty hunter started awake with a gasp. The older man looked over at him with momentary concern, then just patted his leg. The youngster mumbled something that sounded like "Fuku wa doko des' ka?"

The older man chuckled, "In the dryer now. The shirt and jacket will have to be mended."

"Ah. Arigato yo." Back to sleep... 

He chuckled again at Cronaz's puzzled look. "He wanted to know where his clothes were."

The hours passed all too quickly and it was time. Spike loaded Cronaz into the Swordfish and the two made their way to a city that remained on the western coast of the land mass that was called Europe. The climate was temperate, and the people there spoke the same language Cronaz did, so he shouldn't have any trouble on that account. There were businesses there where a man like Cronaz might be able to find work utilising his skills and education.

The Swordfish touched down at the entrance to the city, the ruined landscape a grim reminder of the gate accident from so many decades ago. Easing his way to the ground, he helped Cronaz out and pointed him to his new home. _This isn't what I had in mind for my life. If only I had stayed on Ganymede._ Cronaz sighed.

The young man had something for him. He handed him some cash, it was the last of the cash that Spike had left when he met Jet. He also gave him a couple of pieces of paper.

"First thing you do - find this woman at this address," he said pointing to the first piece of paper. "She will set you up with a new identity." The second piece of paper held the address for a place that housed transients. It had very cheap rates. "This cash will cover the new ident and two weeks at this address. The rest has to be up to you." 

Cronaz listened and absorbed the rest of the advice given to him, such as never ever use his credit card again, it can be traced, forget the name he has now ever existed.  It was as if he had experience with this sort of thing.

He stared dumbfounded at the cash and the information he was given. "You guys never told me your names."

Smile, "I know."

"Am I going to be hunted my whole life? How long will I have to stay here?"

Spike thought for a moment.

"Life is a dream, that we watch unfold. Sometimes that dream turns into a nightmare. Sometimes those nightmares never end, but who knows? Maybe they do. Eventually." Cronaz looked at him dubiously. "Look at it this way. Life is a game of cards. You're dealt a hand, all you can do is play it. Play or fold. There's no telling who's holding what cards.  Just be ready when a card is laid down and make your own play when you get the chance." Cronaz understood THAT. "What I'm saying is, I don't know if you're going to have to be here for the rest of your life. I hope not, but right now, it's the only chance you have. Play the hand you were dealt and hope for the best. But seriously..." and the young man stared at him in deadly earnest "... should the situation ever arise again and it SHOULDN'T... just don't ask questions.  Just leave.  Got it?"

Cronaz couldn't help himself,  "Why are you doing this? Why do you care?"  

The bounty hunter paused in his climbing into his speeder, he turned to him and replied, "Who says I care?"

He then closed the pod to his speeder and launched himself into space, back to his waiting home.

 

*******

  
Cronaz watched him leave. He was going to have to live his life in hiding, but like the kid said, maybe it won't be forever. He hadn't told the bounty hunter about the emails he found during his investigations at the company three months ago, when the bigwig's son had died or disappeared. It was just one of dozens of daily corporate email blasts that were routinely deleted without reading. They were looking for him, even though they thought there was a good chance he was dead. The email contained a candid image of a smiling green haired Japanese lad with large, brown, gentle eyes. He looked like a really sweet kid. Cronaz had recognised the bounty hunter from the photograph, and he knew that his own freedom - his LIFE - was his doing. Maybe nightmares DO have an end like he said. Cronaz looked up into the evening sky and fervently hoped that whatever nightmare this young man may have escaped from was over for good.

 

   
  
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End file.
